Esports world champion, debuted as the center of a talent show

(Warning at the beginning: This story has no romantic pairings, but there may be a small amount of romantic/crush content in the forum/comment section, mostly crush content.)

"Jiang Zhiyu, do you know how much you're worth right now?"

On the other end of the phone, club manager Lin Shi's voice was almost a shout, filled with disbelief and anxiety.

"..."

"A world champion who's only 17 years old, your competitive form hasn't even reached its peak yet, and you're telling me you're retiring?!"

"...It's not retirement, it's rest."

"What's the difference between taking a few years off and retiring? Jiang Zhiyu, please reconsider, I'm begging you..."

Lin Shi continued rambling on, his tone full of disappointment and frustration. But those words, as they reached Jiang Zhiyu's ears, gradually became blurred and distant, eventually being completely swallowed up by the faint blue light of the computer screen.

His fingertips rested on the mouse, scrolling the wheel idly. Before him was the [Zeroing Game/ZPL Professional League Official Forum].

#Giveaway • Congratulations to RXG team for winning the Zero-Based World Championship, and congratulations to River for winning the FMVP of the Year!# [Replies: 15142]

#Discussion: Is R-God, who debuted at his peak and won countless trophies, considered a ZPL GOAT-level player?# [Replies: 5420]

#Detailed explanation of River's recoil control habits and mouse grip posture. Note: Beginners should not imitate this (it's very harmful to your hands)! ​​#[Replies: 2611]

#No-prize guessing game: Will River stay with the team or transfer after his contract with RXG expires at the end of this season?# [Replies: 8691]

Each one revolves around the same name—River.

RXG's victory at the World Championship was undoubtedly a wonderful surprise for all domestic fans.

ZPL is the world's hottest esports league, which has practically drained the esports entertainment industry. However, the international competitiveness of domestic teams has always been controversial, and they have even fallen to the bottom of the rankings at one point. It has been seven years since they last won the World Championship.

River is a prodigy who has emerged in ZPL in the last two years. He almost single-handedly elevated RXG, which was just a mid-to-lower tier team in the domestic league at the time, to the top and created a historical record of eight consecutive championships in the domestic league.

Fans' expectations for RXG's performance at the World Championship are simply that they play steadily, show their skills, and secure a spot in the Swiss knockout stage.

But no one expected that River would carry the team through all the previous champions, shatter all doubts, and make it all the way to the finals.

After the finalists were confirmed, a wave of celebration swept across China, with almost every social media platform discussing the names RXG and River. The hashtag "Plans changed, ready to win the championship" went viral for two consecutive days.

The fervor reached its peak on the night of the finals, a showdown that was later hailed as the most spectacular match in several editions.

On the night of the finals, RXG and their opponents fought fiercely for five games. River broke a series of best records, including the highest kills and highest damage, and won the World Championship trophy with a huge lead over his country's declining performance. He also won the World Championship FMVP for himself.

It's fair to say that the name River has become a legend in the contemporary esports scene.

The entire ZPL, and even the global esports community, is going crazy for this young man who has won numerous honors.

Jiang Zhiyu frowned slightly, the familiar dull pain in his temples starting to flare up again, like a thin needle repeatedly piercing deep into his temples. He scrolled through one popular post after another related to himself with a blank expression, as if River, who was adored by millions on the screen, had nothing to do with him.

Lin Shi has not given up trying to persuade this "bewitched" world champion to "turn back from the wrong path."

"Zhiyu, I know you're tired. Anyone would break down after competing for so long. If you want to rest, take a month or two off, the club will let you. But you just won the world championship and then disappeared. It's such a pity, such a real pity."

pity.

Jiang Zhiyu has heard those two words countless times in the past few days.

It's a pity he reached the top at such a young age.

Unfortunately, he was exceptionally talented and had a bright future ahead of him.

It's a pity he could have achieved both fame and fortune and become a legend.

But only Jiang Zhiyu himself knew that what he regretted most was something that could never be undone.

Just then, a new post suddenly popped up on the forum homepage, marked with the eye-catching "[new]".

#RGodIsRetiring#

These six short words were like a bombshell dropped into the lively but harmonious crowd, instantly stirring up a huge wave of discussion and causing the discussion thread to grow exponentially.

It was late at night, and the only source of light in the dimly lit room was the computer screen.

Jiang Zhiyu narrowed his eyes, the cold light from the screen falling on his face, outlining a clear and striking profile. His features were so handsome they were almost unreal, and his peach blossom eyes, which fans called "Zero One Charm," were slightly upturned. The mole under his eye was faintly visible in the dim light, inexplicably alluring, yet also inexplicably aloof.

But in fact, no one has ever seen River's true face. As we all know, River's must-have item when he appears in public is a black mask that looks like it's welded to his face. Fans jokingly call him the man who plays games best with a mask, while haters bluntly call him "pretender."

As the most popular and decorated player in the league, the greater the praise, the fiercer the slander.

River has an overwhelming number of fans, but also an equally terrifying number of haters. Every word, action, and glance he makes can be interpreted in countless ways.

Jiang Zhiyu, who is at the center of public opinion, is frighteningly low-key.

Aside from competitions, he almost never accepts any commercial activities, doesn't do live streams, doesn't engage in hype, and doesn't show his face. Fans lament that they can't see his face, while haters accuse him of being pretentious and aloof. The two groups argue fiercely, but the person in question remains as unfathomable as a bottomless pool.

At this moment, the thread about River's retirement quickly went viral, with the comments section almost entirely filled with doubts and criticisms.

- "Do you believe R-God will retire now, or do you believe I am Qin Shi Huang?"

"Abandoning our ancestors for experience?"

"Fake gossipmonger, real clown, let's all move on."

No one believed that a prodigy who was on the rise and had won countless championships would choose to retire at lightning speed just as he stood on the top of the world.

Just like manager Lin Shi, he always felt that Jiang Zhiyu was just too tired and acting out of spite.

Only Jiang Zhiyu himself knew that he wasn't tired.

The headache worsened, and Jiang Zhiyu supported his forehead with one hand while groping on the coffee table next to him with the other.

Several thick books and boxes of pills of different colors were scattered on the coffee table. He squinted, struggled to identify one of the boxes, took out the pills, tilted his head back and swallowed them dry, without even drinking a sip of water.

The painkillers weren't working quickly enough. Jiang Zhiyu leaned back heavily in his gaming chair, his vision blurry as he stared at the ring of lights above him. Cold sweat seeped out, soaking through the fabric of his clothes and sticking to his skin, both cold and sticky.

In the excruciating pain, he seemed to see again the nightmare that had haunted him his entire life, that bright and sunny boy.